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Perry was to say the least surprised to wake up without Annabeth by his side, she hadn’t left a note and Percy doubted that she was taken in the middle of the night without so much as leaving a sign.
That left Percy alone in the middle of the woods in the middle of the quest to wait.
So he did, for far way too long, he was in the part of the woods surviving off of the water from the stream and bushes of berries and fish.
Annabeth never returned, Percy had looked, he had gone through the whole forest twice and beyond. The nearby cities were full of bland and annoying mortals but no Annabeth
Percy never did find out what had happened to that beast he was supposed to track down and kill, and no dream had come to him with a message, though that was largely because he had never really slept and when he did it was largely because he had passed out making his slumber too deep for any god to try an contact him.
Another theory was that Percy had just forgotten or never bothered to pay attention in his dreamse. He didn’t seem to remember much from what his life was before, he knew Annabeth's smile and her laugh would echo through his skull on cold nights when his lungs refused to be filled with oxygen.
Percy would jump to the bottom of the lake and try to drown, it would never work he would think as he remembered that he was the son of the sea god. He truly wished he was anything but.
Tonight the moon was full and Percy was searching yet again the west side of the forest, Annabeth was still not in nearby caves. Percy was thinking about his friends that were back at camp half blood perhaps wondering where Percy was he wanted to see them.
Could he ever really forgive himself for letting his friend die on his watch. She was more than a friend, though Percy felt guilt every time he wished that she was less. He had realized during his time in the woods that Annabeth had deserved more, she had just never known it.
Percy looked up to the moon and thought of the goddess Artmeis and her huntresses, Thalia, Percy hadn’t seen her in so long, what if he never did. What if she was dead too, just like her brother, Jason.
He had died on a stupid quest and Percy was tempted to go out the same way as he looked at the stars that were so much brighter than the moon yet people would never be thankful to them for their light.
Percy thought of Nico, he was so, so bright, he shined greater than any star. Percy had just never really seen his light. Percy needed to see him, he wanted to.
***
It was probably the most guilty Percy would ever feel when he left the forest and continued after that to leave the state to go back home. Percy had needed to give himself a break for a while, he needed it and although he didn't think so, he deserved it.
While he was just outside of New York he decided to write to camp half blood, to tell them that Ananbeth had died, Percy didn’t want to do it in person because he knew as soon as he would start speaking his eyes would start bawling. So he had sat down at a cafe outside of New York to write his letters
The letter went something like this.
Dear camp half blood
I wanted to tell you that I am coming back without killing the monster, and without Annabeth.
She is dead. I do not know how it happened, I woke up one morning and she was gone.
She didn’t come back after 2 weeks and my grief has lept me away from you. The quest was not completed and I do not plan on doing so.
I am sorry, I failed
I am coming back now, I am sending this letter so that I will not be crying in front of you while telling everyone/
Percy had started choking up, it wasn't fair, none of thai was. Why did Annabeth have to leave him? Couldn't she have at least said goodbye.
Percy felt so fragile as he wrote down the next person he wanted to address this letter to.
Nico I am also sorry if you are at all worried about my disappearance, I have missed you and I have thought about you for so long while I have been gone.
A long time ago you said you liked me and but I was not your type, I think I felt that way about Annabeth. I hope you are doing okay, with Will.
Before I left I told you Will didn;t seem right for you and I want you to know, I was jealous. I think I like you Nico Di angelo, not that anything will come of it of course, I just want to apologize for my envy.
The weight of Percy's shoulders were not lifted from writing that note as some had said. He decided to send it anyways, torn in two sent separately of course.
Though When Percy had arrived in New York he realized there was no mail office on the way, with only few supplies left and no golden drachmas to iris message camp, Percy chose to give CHiron and Nico the letter and then run away.
Some would say he was moving on too quickly from Annabeth though it was more a friend's death, Annabeth ahd never eally loved him.
To be honest although Percy was sad to move on from Annabeth, he knew that it had never been true unending love, he didn’t really know why they had been together, perhaps it was since the love he said had for Annabeht had shielded the lack of love he had for himself.
It didn’t matter anymore because Annabeth was gone and he swore to the river Styx if he ever saw her again he would be so overjoyed that he would die.
Percy did not know if swearing to the river Styz counted in your mind, he assumed it didn't, because if he saw Annabeht he would love it if they would talk instead of Percy instantly dying.
Percy was only an hour away from camp now, and he felt anxious to see Nico again, the letter weighing heavy in his pocket.
Nico had been stuck in Percy's mind for days while he had slowly edged his way back to Long island.Of course Percy was excited to see all his friends but Percy needed to take this off his chest then maybe he could feel an ounce of peace, for once he wanted to put himself first.
Percy wished Nico had gone on this quest with him.
After walking, Percy had decided to walk, which might have been boring if he wasn't freaking out about seeing everyone and telling them Annabeth was dead.
As he rose over Thalia's hill and looked down onto camp half blood, almost no one in sight, they may have all been at dinner, although it was not dark yet. Percy knew one person who didn't eat dinner so he ran down the hill. It felt good to be here, the air smelt so good and although tainted with nostalgia and a little of the blood he had shed this was the closest thing he had to a home.
He reached the cabins and ran straight up the stairs and to the door of cabin 13. He was inside those doors, Percy knew as he could see light seeping through the doorway.
The door swung open and there he was wearing black jeans and a band shirt, hair long and more angelic than any god or higher being, there was Nico di Andgelo.
“Percy” Nico's face was flooded with emotions of anger, fear worry and relief,
“Hey Nico”
Percy hugged him tightly, Nick froze in place but eventually he hugged Percy pack and began to sob making Percy push off of him to make sure he was okay.
“I thought you were dead Percy” Percy tried to wipe the tears of Nicos face but it was no use
Well Percy thought, no time is better than the present.
“Nico I have something to tell you” PErcy said shakily "While I was gone, I realized I like you, well have liked you, I just, Well I didnt realize but i have loved you for a while - sorry did I say love”
“What about Annabeth?" Nico's tears stopped,
“Shes gone” Percy looked to the floor in guilt, not a second before Nico picked up his head with his hand elegantly and kissed Percy.
It was one of those kisses that happened and you knew you wouldn't have one like this for a long time. It was filled with longing, months of yearning and burning passion, Percy could have stayed there forever. He would've if Nico didn't pull back suddenly, PErcy was about to pull him back, he couldn't stop smiling and he probably looked like an idiot flushed like a burnt tomato.
Though Nico was looking behind him, Percy turned around to see what the interruption was.
There she was standing holding the hand of Piper clean,looking right at Percy and smiling, and Percy was so overjoyed he wanted to cry but he knew it would not last. Percy would forgive her for lying, disappearing and not coming back for him, but she was alive and if he was seeing her again that would mean Styx would not let him live. They never had been that good at communication or decisions towards and for each other. Her blonde hair tied back and she took a step towards Percy.
Once again he would not say goodbye, he was leaving now.
He smiled back at Annabeth and turned back to Nico, he knew this might break Nico, for once he had put himself first, Nico rarely did that.
Nico Di Angelo always put himself last
Percy had never lived on this earth holding peace between his two fingers and the place where butterflies once were in his lungs were replaced with rocks and he felt them pile inside of him, his lungs were thing torn apart and were attempting to abandon him.
He fell into Nico's hands and looked at Annabeth as she suddenly fell into Piper as if her legs had broken and lungs had failed and he knew she had committed to the same fate if only she had said goodbye, or left a note.
He had felt heaven before ever going, Nico's arms, angels comforting him in his final moments
He could only wish that in another life he would get a second chance at this, at everything. but he knew Nico wasnt, Percy knew he was thinking of ways that this could be his own fault.